Full swing training methods are known in the art and these typically involve launching the ball with full force in normal speed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,611 ('611 patent) is for a retractable golf club alignment device and method for use for assisting a golfer to hit the sweet spot of a golf ball.
The sweet spot is the optimal point of impact on the sports instrument to impart maximal energy to a ball, send it on a predictable and desired trajectory and deliver the best feeling when hitting the ball.
The device of the '611 patent comprises a retractable extension pin mounted through the optimum spot on the clubface. The golfer attempts to strike the ball flush with the retractable pin, just as he would strike it with the clubface and the ball is launched just as in actual play. If he is off the sweet spot, the ball trajectory is affected.
The present invention is different from the '611 patent in that it does not encumber the club with a weighty device, does not use a pin on the clubface to affect ball trajectory, does not use full speed swings, and the ball does not launch from being struck, which is important because it requires significant area for use. The present invention is different in that it uniquely promotes player concentration between strokes.
Using a pin on the clubface with a fixed Styrofoam target is known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,244,973 ('973 patent) teaches a training device for developing a golfer's swing based on a principle of driving a spike fixed to the sweet spot of a striking surface of a golf club into the flat target surface to permit penetration and fixation of the spike in the target surface.
The present invention is different from the device disclosed in the '973 patent in that the present invention is not used with a full speed swing, does not have a spike on the club, and does not penetrate a target with a spike. The present invention is different in that it uniquely promotes player concentration between strokes.
A common failing in the prior art is that all include interruptions between a player's practice strokes. The present invention is not susceptible to this failing and provides a means for repetitive strokes, without interruptions.
An example this prior art is a product called Flush Hit Golf described at a website of the same name that uses a club with a hole in its face that matches the ball. If a player hits the ball perfectly, the Flush Hit Driver captures the Flush Hit golf ball in the hole in the face of the driver. If a player successfully catches the ball inside the hole, then the player must use a separate tool to get the ball out of the hole and then replace the ball on the tee before the player can start with the next shot. If the player is not successful in catching the ball in the hole, then the ball flies away, and he must either use another ball or fetch the one just hit. The point is that this prior art and all others like it inherently include interruptions in player concentration, which is avoided by the present invention: A player can go deeper and deeper in concentration without interruptions. For example, a player could sequentially execute 100 strokes without any distractions, that is, without stopping from first stroke to last.
An example this prior art is a product called Flush Hit Golf described at a website of the same name that uses a club with a hole in its face that matches the ball. If a player hits the ball perfectly, the Flush Hit Driver captures the Flush Hit golf ball in the hole in the face of the driver. If a player successfully catches the ball inside the hole, then the player must use a separate tool to get the ball out of the hole and then replace the ball on the tee before the player can start with the next shot. If the player is not successful in catching the ball in the hole, then the ball flies away, and he must either use another ball or fetch the one just hit. The point is that this prior art and all others like it inherently include interruptions in player concentration, which is avoided by the present invention: A player can go deeper and deeper in concentration without interruptions. For example, a player could sequentially execute 100 strokes without any distractions, that is, without stopping from first stroke to last.